Gloria stood up with Qualt. It was really cold outside and inside and the fire dragoness needed to be sticking to her companion for, at least, some heath, as he wasn't too much affected by the weather. But he was affected by her presence as he also needed her.

"I never thought it was going to be this hard to be here..." he whispered.

"I know what you feel, Qualt. I had the same feeling when I saw Merth Alterio once again. But you know what really helped me?"

"What?"

"It was you. You were next to me and you were therefor me, to help me. Now, let me be there for you just as you did for me."

And he replied by taking her in his arm and huddled against her.

"Thank you…" he answered in sigh, his voice trembling. "For everything..."

She put her arm on his shoulder and then said:

"Don't worry, honey. You also have done everything for me. Oh and, when your turn will be over, try to sleep a little, okay?"

"Okay..."

And she gave him a lovely kiss.

His breath was regular, appeased. There were noises around him. They were familiar. It felt like… home. He tried to open his eyes. They were heavy but he did succeed to see a thing.

And he recognized one voice. He turned towards it.

It was Gloria.

Not the red one.

He looked around and it was the cave.

He immediately tried to step backward. Tried.

"What's going on, bro? Something's wrong?"

"No…"

"Oh, I was worried for a second."

"No… You're not here, you're not real..."

"Daaaaw, don't say that. I am real. If not..."

He blinked…

And he was in front was the terror.

"… why would I be there just in front of you."

She had her entire face putrefied, rotten, devoured by worms. She had a horrible smile…

"What will you do to me? Will you let me die again? Will you kill me? Come on! Do it!"

Mist emerged from her entire body. And her face changed.

"No..." he whispered…

"Go on!"

"No!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He looked around and he saw all his teammates, just as bloody and dislocated as his sister's body. And they joined the choir.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He tried to run but his legs and arms were paralysed. They all were right next to him to yell their order.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

And he recognized other voices. His superior ones, all of them. All those who ordered the fatal work in the battlefield, all those who let him do the dirty job of a soldier, all those who simply gave him orders.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Then, instead of Gloria, just in front of his face, was Myst. He whispered with his so monstrous voice:

"Kill… Kill… Kill..."

His breath began to accelerate! He wanted to escape! He tried! Again! And again! The voice continued! Always the same whisper! Always the same order! Always! The same! Kill! Kill! Kill! Nothing else! Always that! Always blood! Always death! Always kill!

...

Rage.

It began to control him.

Everything disappeared.

Everything.

Except a voice.

A different voice.

A familiar voice.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

His voice.

"Qualt! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes and deeply inspired. His breath was jerky.

It took a few seconds to take back his mind.

And when he recognized where he was and when he was, he started sobbing. Gloria, the red one, was next to him. She held him. And he recognized her voice as the one who helped him to get out of that nightmare.

When he could control himself again, he said after a great inspiration and expiration:

"How many time we stood here?"

"An hour. Or two. The storm outside is still here."

"Okay… Thanks… And thank you for waking me up. The nightmare I was having was horrible."

"I could see that", she answered.

"We all could", then said Œl.

And everyone else nodded and said some yes or yeah or yep.

He sighed and looked at the ground.

And he whispered…

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

"What?" asked Gloria.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! That's all I knew! That's my entire life!"

"What are you talking about?" she said, confused.

And he progressively yelled.

"This word! All my life is based on it! My orders? Kill! Kill! Kill! The war? Kill! Kill! KILL! THAT'S ALL I KNEW! THAT'S ALL I'VE HEARD! ALL DAY! ALL NIGHT! KILL! KILL! KILL!"

And while everybody got confused, Gloria slapped him.

"Now don't go crazy on me, my dear", she said. "I won't accept it! Those are maybe all your orders but does this mean you're just a puppet? A killing machine? No! Fuck no! You are better than that! And when you kill, when you really do, you do it to save lives or to avenge those who were killed. I know it, Qualt. Maybe all of that was your entire life before. But today is different. You understood me?"

He stood silent for a lot of solid seconds. Before finally answering:

"Yeah… I'm sorry… It's just this place and this nightmare I just had. It really got me on the nerves."

"I could see that", she replied with a smile. "We all could."

Qualt, then, got up. He needed to walk and to think to other things. Milhrio and Doug went back playing cards while Drer and Œl were watching the exit of the cave.

He explored a bit the room. And, after a minute, something caught his eyes. He turned his head towards it…

… and rushed to take what he saw.

Then, he slowly putted his right front paw on one of his iron daggers.

What he took, indeed, was his old horns. The broken ones.

Drer saw that and told Œl to continue what he was doing. And he went right next to this broken soul. Qualt remained completely silent.

"Yeah, that's what you told me when we both were in the hospital", Drer said.

"This darker broke me…"

"And maybe there is another dragon, other than the Purples, behind all of that. And indeed they broke you. But look at you. You're beginning to be fixed."

"Yeah… Maybe…"

"Maybe not entirely, there will be traces. But you're in a good way."

"I will only be fixed when that darker and maybe that dragon will be killed."

"That's what I like to hear!"

"Hey! The storm stopped!" suddenly said Œl.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Milhrio.

Qualt Ironhorns putted his old horns into his bag and, determined, he got out of the cave while replying:

"It's time to complete some unfinished job!"